Winter in the European Alps means not just great skiing, snowboarding and apres ski – it also means an increasing selection of epic ski festivals. For the uninitated, these music festivals in ski resorts basically offer apres ski on a more pumped up level.
Think of all the apres ski parties with dancing on the table and copious amounts of gluhwein that you’ve ever seen, and then crank it up to 11.
Yes, some of these ski based music festivals can get very rowdy. Which is obviously a lot of fun if thats your kinda thing. So we’ve picked out some of the best ski resort music festivals across Europe for you to get ready and book in.
Strap on your ski boots and get your singing voice warmed up. Here we go….
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Snowbombing
- Mayrhofen, Austria
- 8th-13th April 2024
First up, the daddy of the ski music festival scene, Snowbombing. Based in Mayrhofen in Austria, Snowbombing was one of the original dance music festivals during the winter and is still one of the best.
Past headliners include Fatboy Slim, Andy C, Sven Vath, Groove Armada and Skepta, among many others. Lineups for winter ski festivals tend to be released in full closer to the date, normally once the season has started. But, expect much of the same from Snowbombing this year too. In short, the biggest names in house, drum n bass, electronica and the UK hip hop and grime scene.
As for the skiing or snowboarding? Mayrhofen is one of the best ski resorts in the Zillertal ski area; an expansive valley in the Tyrol region of Austria. The Mayrhofen ski pass covers not just Mayrhofen itself but resorts such as Zell am Zimmer, Kaltenbach and Hintertux which can be reached easily along the valley. In short, the ski terrain is varied and you’ll find plenty to explore whatever your ski or snowboarding experience.
Tickets start from GB£249 for the 7 days.
Snowboxx
- Avoriaz, France
- 16-23rd March 2024
It’s hard to say which is best out of Snowboxx or Snowbombing, as they are very similar. Both offer a very UK-centric line up of world class DJs and live music acts. Past headliners include Rudimental, Wilkinson, Mike Skinner and The Prodigy, as well as a pretty amazing smorgasbord of top grade international DJs.
One advantage that Snowboxx has over Mayrhofen is that Avoriaz is on top of the mountain rather than in a valley. This means glorious sunset views at La Folie Douce, which is very nice.
Another advantage? Avoriaz is ski in/ski out, which means you can step straight out of your apartment onto the pistes from the majority of accommodation in town. We loved Snowboxx 2019, and you can check out our full review here.
Find out more about prices, packages and the line up on the offical Snowboxx site.
Tomorrowland Winter
- Alpe d’Huez, France
- 16-23rd March 2024
This popular Belgian run festival is growing in popularity on the ski festival circuit. Based out of the fantastic Alpe d’Huez resort, Tomorrowland Winter festival focuses on a more Euro-centric dance music line up rather than the very Brit heavy Snowboxx and Snowbombing.
Previous acts have included Armin van Buren, Steve Aioki, DJ Snake and Paul Kalkbrenner. Expect a similar line up for Tomorrowland Winter 2021.
An added appeal is Alpe d’Huez, which is one of the most popular ski resorts in Europe. With some of the most varied terrain in Europe, it’s perfect for every level of skiier and snowboarder, from newbies to advanced.
Find out more about Tomorrowland Winter 2024 on their website.
The Unlimited Festival
- Chamonix, France
- March 25th – April 1st 2024
Lively Chamonix starts winding down the Winter season in style with the Unlimited Festival. Taking place across the resort, including the popular Folie Douce, Unlimited features some of the best known and upcoming names in house and techno, including Maceo Plex, Paula Temple, Laurent Garnier and more,,,
Tickets start from €30 for individual events, or 3 day festival passes start from €200.
Find the full details at the Unlimited Festival website.
Rise Festival
- Les Deux Alpes, France
- December 12th-19th 2023
Les Deux Alpes is a great spot for a music festival, and has some very vibrant apres ski too. This is another popular festival on the ski circuit, with a good reputation for top quality dance music. Think along the lines of Seth Troxler, Hannah Wants, David Rodigan, Annie Mac and Chase and Status.
Even if you miss out on Rise fesitval, you’ll find tons to keep you partying hard in Les Deux Alpes.
Tickets start at £189 for a 3 day stay, check prices, packages and line-ups on the Rise Festival website.
Sun and Snow
- Sierra Nevada, Spain
- 5th – 7th April 2024
Spain might not rank on many snowsport enthusiasts radars, but in fact there are quite a few great resorts in the country. This includes the southernmost ski resort in Europe, Sierra Nevada, just outside Granada.
Sun and Snow is a popular ski festival late in the season. And while you might think that a ski resort in souther Spain won’t have much sun at this end of the season, in fact it tends to be quite well covered (albeit a lil’ slushy) into April.
The line-up tends to be Spanish and European DJs, with past attendees including Audiofly, Denis Horvat, Ame, DJ Tennis and Nastia. If you love a bit of the Spanish culture and nightlife, this is definitely a good choice. Oh, and it’s *relatively* cheap at £55 per day.
Check out the full details of Sun and Snow.
Caprices
- Crans Montana, Switzerland
- 29th-31st March 2024 AND 5th-7th April 2024
While Crans Montana is often seen as a kinda high end, or premium ski resort, it might be more accessible than you think. Yes, it does attract the well heeled locals and a big crowd of Italians, but the Caprices festival, held over two weekends near the end of the season, is actually a very international affair.
Music is mostly electronic, with a mixed roster of international DJs such as Sven Vath, Fatboy Slim, Jamie XX, Luciano and Audiofly. The festival normally takes place on the mountain, with some venues at the base and around town also bringing the vibe. Read the Caprices 2024 line up announcement.
Crans Montana itself offers over 140 kms of amazing skiing, with some incredible views across the Alps. You’ll also find some great apres ski during the season too, with bars such as Monkis and Zerodix. Check out our Crans Montana ski resort review.
Book tickets for Caprices 2024.
Electric Mountain Festival
- Solden, Austria
- 8th-12th April 2024
The highest ski resort in Austria is home to one of the rowdiest end of season ski festivals too. Electric Mountain features five days of serious festivities, with some great European DJs playing mostly house, techno and electronica. Acts such as Mattn, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike will be hyping crowds up on this years 10th anniversary edition.
This is one of the best ski resorts in Austria, with glacier skiing and tons of terrain to explore – plus the altitude ensures snow sure cover even into the end of the season.
Tickets to the festival only start from €74.
Check out Electric Mountain Festival details.
Zermatt Unplugged
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- 9-13th April 2024
In the shadow of the mighty Matterhorn, Zermatt offers some of the most incredible and snow sure ski terrain anywhere in Europe. And come the end of the season, this usually quite chilled ski resort starts to bop with the sounds of one of the rising stars of the snow sports music festivals.
In keeping with the resorts sophisticated air, Zermatt Unplugged focuses more on live music than pumping electro beats. Think acts such as Ben Howard, Birdy, Kate Nash, Jack Savoretti, Emilie Sande and Nelly Furtado.
That said, once the sun sets and the main acts have finished, you will definitely find somewhere to dance until the early hours.
Unlike most of the other festivals, Zermatt Unplugged has a different ticket structure. You basically buy the Zermatt Unplugged Pass which gets you access to festival area and the apres ski parties – but you also need to buy specific tickets for some of the artists.
The Zermatt Unplugged pass is CHF65, but individual event tickets start from CHF66, with many costing in excess of CHF100.
Find out more info about Zermatt Unplugged.
Hibernation Festival
- Pas de la Casa, Andorra
- 21st-24th March 2024
Rowdy Pas de la Casa in Andorra sees the relatively low fi Hibernation festival in town at the end of the season. Think techno and low fi electronica from underground artists. Previous lineups have incluced Paul Kalkbrenner, Ame, Maceo Plex, Agoria and Len Faki.
Pas de la Casa is nestled at the end of the excellent Grandvalira ski region in Andorra, which has become one of Europe’s largest linked ski areas. It’s also a popular spot for great apres ski, even when not playing host to a snow sports music festival, and is well worth checking out if you’re looking for something outside of the Alpine experience.
While the Pyrenees resorts do sometimes suffer from feast or famine with regards to snow cover, even at this end of the season Andorra can see some good snowfall. Recent years have seen a good dusting well into March, so fingers crossed for this year too.
Check out the full details for Hibernation festival
Snow Attack
- Les Deux Alpes, France
- 20-27th Jan 2024
This Hungarian run ski music festival is becoming a bit of a fixture in the usually pretty vibrant Les Deux Alpes. And being right at the peak of the season, you can expect great snow coverage in this excellent ski resort, as well as more crazy than usual apres ski.
Snow Attack features live acts such as Pendulum, Brina Knauss, Netsky, Borgore and loads of Hungarian DJs. If you’ve been to L2A, you know that the party starts on the mountain pretty early, which is also the case here. Not been to this resort? Read our Les Deux Alpes report.
Tickets for the 7 days start from €499. Find out more at Snow Attack.
Bansko Vibe
- Bansko, Bulgaria
- 18th-23rd March 2024
The Bulgarian party hotspot hosts several events throughout the year, including the ski festival Bansko Vibe. As you may already know, Bansko gets pretty vibey at the best of times. And while this is a relatively new festival on the circuit, if you’re looking for maximum apres ski vibes then you might want to book a trip to Bansko for this one.
Music wise, the acts are mostly house, old skool and R&B with a line up of acts from across Europe. Best of all, Bansko Vibe is free, with activities across the town during the week.
Find out more about Bansko Vibe.
What are ski music festivals like?
If you’ve ever been to a music festival, and you’ve ever been skiing or snowboarding, a ski music festival is basically like the perfect blend of the two. Usually the main stage is in the resort, with the headliners playing in the evening so you get to enjoy a full day on the mountain.
However, there are also usually stages or events on the mountain during the day too, with events typically kicking off after lunch.
Because most of these ski resort music festivals happen later in the season, the weather also tends to be pretty good. Think bluebird days and some snow too. The higher the resort, the better quality the snow, of course. You might not find the best ski or snowboarding conditions, but hey… You’re here to party, right?
